1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to photography, and particularly to a compact camera with a built-in movable flash unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A current trend in camera design is to incorporate an electronic flash unit in the camera body and yet make such body relatively small in size in order to increase its ease of storage, portability, and handling. Examples of smaller size cameras with integral electronic flash units are the disk film cameras, the size 110 camera, and the compact 35mm cameras, sold by various camera manufacturers. As a consequence of making a camera body smaller in size, the separation between an integral flash unit and the camera objective lens is reduced, thereby possibly creating an undesirable effect commonly known as "red-eye". When using a flash unit and a color print film, red-eye is typified by the pupils in the eyes of a person being photographed coming out red-tinted on a developed color print. Such phenomenon is attributable to the incidence into the objective lens of the red light reflected from the retinas in the person's eyes illuminated by the flash light.
Red-eye may be substantially avoided by increasing the distance between the flash unit and the objective lens. As a result, light from the flash unit will reach the eyes of a person being photographed at too great an angle to be reflected by his retinas into the objective lens.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,405, granted May 25, 1982, red-eye appears to be substantially avoided without increasing the size of a compact 35mm camera to any great degree by providing an electronic flash unit that is pivotable with respect to the camera body. The flash unit is pivotable between an inactive folded position in which it rests atop the camera body and an operative erect position in which it is elevated above the camera body sufficiently removed from the objective lens to permit picture-taking possibly without much occurrence of red-eye.